He faced several questions about the Oilers\u2019 current predicament, which led to a brief and tense interaction that went viral on social media Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a hard question, but. Stanley Cups found Gretzky and Crosby and those guys, and gold medals, and you\u2019ve put yourself in position, and it\u2019s not finding you. Did you think it would be this hard?\u201d McDavid was asked by Sportsnet\u2019s Mark Spector.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a nice question, thank you,\u201d said McDavid<\/a> in response, who paused.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s disappointing,\u201d he continued. \u201cThere\u2019s no way around it. We could be sitting here having a totally different conversation if things had gone a little bit differently. It\u2019s hard, it\u2019s hard to win at any level, especially when we\u2019re talking about the best and the very, very best in the NHL and the Olympics. The margins are very, very small. And we obviously saw that on Sunday, and we felt the effects of that here in Edmonton from time to time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Spector followed up: \u201cYou\u2019re a pretty hungry guy. Can it make you hungrier?\u201d<\/p>\n McDavid replied: \u201cIt\u2019s all part of the process. I mean, that\u2019s what it\u2019s got to be. What other option do I have?\u201d<\/p>\n This was McDavid\u2019s first Olympics experience, and he broke the tournament record<\/a> for NHLers at a single Games with 13 points. However, with the loss has come torrents of online criticism that want to brand McDavid as unable to win the \u201cbig one.\u201d The noise has only been amplified after the Oilers lost back-to-back Stanley Cups to the Florida Panthers.Canada won the 4 Nations Face-Off after McDavid\u2019s overtime winner<\/a> last February, but had to capture silver after Connor Hellebuyck\u2019s record-breaking 41-save performance for the United States.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was very, very fast. I mean, this is what we asked for. This is the hockey has been missing. You see what it looks like at the very, very best. That\u2019s the very best you\u2019re gonna see. Those are two the best teams, probably in the world, that you can put together in the sport and playing together, playing for your country, playing for something very meaningful, that brings the best out of guys. And I think you saw that at everybody out of that game on Sunday,\u201d said McDavid.<\/p>\n \u201cThose moments are what we live for, to play in a game like that, to play at that level, at that pace, at that magnitude \u2014 that\u2019s what it\u2019s all about. As I said, it was fun to be a part of that game, and felt like we put ourselves in a really, really good spot, and gave ourselves every chance to win that game. For whatever reason, we didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n Michael Menzies is an Oilersnation columnist and has been the play-by-play voice of the Bonnyville Pontiacs in the AJHL since 2019. With seven years news experience as the Editor-at-Large of Lakeland Connect in Bonnyville, he also collects vinyl, books, and stomach issues.<\/p>\n JOIN US AT BRUNCH FOR BEN! Mark your calendar for\u00a0Saturday, February 28th\u00a0and join us at the\u00a0Matrix Hotel\u00a0for\u00a0Brunch for Ben!<\/p>\n We\u2019re serving up breakfast with a side of hockey on the big screens, mini-putt showdowns, crafts, prizes, giveaways, and plenty more fun.<\/p>\n Cheer on Edmonton. Sink a putt. Win some prizes.<\/p>\n Most importantly? Support an incredible cause \u2014 the\u00a0Ben Stelter Foundation.<\/p>\n Eat breakfast. Have a blast. Make a difference.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1772095285_878_image.png\"\/)
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